What Ava DuVernay Knew About Her Oscar Snub That You Didn’t

It looks likes Ava DuVernay saw into the future, and we didn’t. Despite Selma and its director being a fan favorite, DuVernay knew she wasn’t going to be nominated for best directorand predicted as much in a just published interview with Entertainment Weekly. The interview took place in December, well before the nominations were announced last week.

According to DuVernay, “It’s math.”

“It would be lovely,” she said on the possibility of being the first black woman to be nominated for Best Director. “When it happens to whomever it happens to, it will certainly have meaning.” But it would not be her. “This is not me being humble, either.” “I know not one person in my branch,” she went on to say.

Now, her focus is going to be on how to remain relevant when most female directors seem to slow down after their big break. “I’m trying to be clear and follow my own footsteps because there is no black woman’s footsteps to follow.”